Early cable networks supported one-way broadcasting of television programs to subscribers. This was sufficient in the early days of television. Eventually, however, because the Internet has become so popular, subscribers now desire the ability to transmit as well as receive data over their network connections.
To accommodate subscribers' needs, conventional cable networks have evolved to enable subscribers to transmit more and more data in a reverse or upstream direction to a network. For example, via a device such as a cable modem, in addition to receiving data such as requested content for playback, a subscriber is now able to transmit data to remote locations over a network.
Because of inherent high bandwidth capability, fiber optic links are commonly used to convey data in both upstream and downstream directions. Expansion of fiber optic links and efficient use of such links can be challenging. In certain instances, bandwidth on installed conventional fiber optic links may be under-utilized.